Tyneside Family History.

Crime and Punishment.

Newgate Gaol.

April 2, 1823 Newgate was the town gaol since 1400 when the town became a county in itself and took custody of its own prisoners. un the climbdown of new decay, the felons be longing to Newcastle were confined in the cells of the county court, and the debtors in the castle, until the completion of the new prison in Carliol St the above would cut shows the south front of a Newgate with the guardhouse adjoining its west wing, and the footway which was open through the town walls on the East side, in 1765 for the convenience of the public. The gaolers house stood opposite to the east end. June 1823, the East wing was commence been pulled down, which was followed by the removal of the West Wing. In the state it remained until September 18th when it was commenced being pulled down.

Newcastle Gaol.

The new jail and house of correction was situated on the west side of Carliol Square. It was erected in 1823, at a cost of about £35,000, from a design bt John Dobson. Esq. The foundation stone was laid by Robert Bell the Mayor also present was William Coates, Francis Ewart, Thomas Milner, William Brownsword, George Anderson, Thomas Mackford and Thomas Graham representing the various parishes of the town. The new prison was a strong and massive erection, with a bold and formidable central tower, the entrance was under a massive Gateway and the whole prison was surrounded by Stonewall 25 ft high and had all the appliances of approved prison disipline. The building was finished in Febuary 1828 and the prisoners were moved in. The different wards are arranged on the radiating principle, so that every avenue and court is visible from the lofty central tower, in which the apartments of the jailer and turnkeys are situated.
The expense of the new prison came under criticism form Tim Tunbelly who wrote " The luxury of the age has made our old prisons unfit for modern prisoners, and the county of Northumberland, as well as the town of Newcastle, knowing how much the prisoners of the day deserve, have determined to build two good comfortable concerns. They will cost as much as palaces."
In 1878 Thomas Robins was the governor other staff where Rev. William Bowham Chaplin, Nicholas Hardcastle, surgeon and Mrs. Mary Douglas matron.

Crimes.

1805,August 16, Thomas Clare, a private in the 2nd Staffordshire militia for the murder of William Todd while encamped near Hartley. The murder was committed 19 August 1804.

1816 September 7 James O'Neill for robbing George Angus on the highway interred at St. Andrews church.

1817 December 3 , Charles Smith for the murder of Charles Stuart, gallows erected on the town moor a little north of the barracks on the opposite side of the road. After prayers with a Roman Catholic clergyman Rev. Mr. Worswick he was launched into eternity. His body was taken to the surgeon's hall for dissection.

1829, March 7, Jane Jameson for the murder of her mother an inmate at the Keelmans Hospital by stabbing into her heart with a red hot poker. She was visited by the rev. R Green, also present when the sacrament was administered was the rev. W.A. Shute and the rev. F.A. West, Wesleyan Minister. A quarter before nine she was pinioned, and a few minuets later a cart arrived at the gaol to take her to the scaffold on the town moor to the NE of the barracks. Mr. Turner, the turnkey, got on to support her. The procession moved at a very slow pace in the following order:- The town Serjeants on horseback, in black, with cocked hats and swords; the town Marshall also on horseback, in his usual official dress; the cart with the prisoner sitting above her coffin, guarded on each side by eight free-porters, with javelins, and ten constables with their staves; then came a mourning coach containing the rev. R. Green, Mr. Adamson Under sheriff, Mr. Sopwith Gaoler, and Mr. Scott clerk of St. Andrews. At the gallows a prayer was said then a cap was placed over her face she stepped up onto a stool on which was on a platform on the cart she said "I am ready" then stooping as if to meet her fate was launched into eternity. She was suspended at ten o'clock exactly and was cut down at five minuets before eleven. The body was then taken to the surgeon's hall for display to the public not dissection until six in the evening the body was used for anatomical lectures for several days by Mr. John Fife, Surgeon.

1833 March 18, As Mr Buddle, Butcher, of Newcastle, was proceeding to attend Morpeth market, he was attacked, about one O' clock near the six Mile Bridge, by four men, and robbed of £19.08 one of the men on coming up to him and asked him time of night and when the four instantly close upon him, knocked him down and rifled his pockets. The thieves immediately leapt a gate into a field and were followed by Mr Buddle and his dog, which attacked the fellows, and must have bitten them severely. The men ran across the field, followed by a Buddle until they came to burn, into which two of them fell. On coming up, he grappled with them, when a dreadful scuffle took place during which two shots were fired at him and his dog, but, happily, without effect he was severely beaten about the head. The robbers escaped at the time, but were afterwards taken and tried at Newcastle assizes , before Baron Bolland convicted and a sentenced death recorded against them, but the sentence was afterwards commuted to penal servitude for life. Mr Buddle, how ever for his courageous and manly conduct was presented with a splendid watch, and £19.08d. the lost the money he lost.

1844 23 August, Mark Sherwood an Irishman for the murder of his wife Ann Sherwood on the 14 March 1844, Ann Walter Ormston a neighbour found the body with its head nearly severed from its body, Inspector Little of the Westgate police station was informed and soon the police followed by the surgeons Carr and Taylor at the summer assizes Sherwood was convicted of murder and sentenced to be executed by Chief Baron Pollock.

1846 October 5, a melancholy affair took place in the field adjoining Benton-lane, Newcastle, which ended in the death of a man named Daniel Hives. The deceased was employed in the construction of the Newcastle and Berwick Railway, and a few minutes before the occurrence had been struck and severely injured by to Irish navvies named George Matthews and John Hughes. He immediately followed them, the men threatened to murder him if he came any nearer to them. He persisted however and the party at last reached a field in which Captain Potts, a magistrate, was standing, when Hives having appealed to him, the captain also followed the men and told them they should not escape. Suddenly the Irishman turned around and came up to their pursuers and when Matthews pushed to Captain Potts none aside and plunge the knife into the right groin of the unfortunate Hives through the coolness and persistence of Captain Potts the men were soon after captured. On Febuary 27 1847, they were tried before Baron Rolf, when Matthews was convicted of the murder of Hives an unknown and Huges was acquitted. Matthews was executed at Morpeth on the 17th March.

1850 August 30, Patrick Forbes an Irish Labourer murdered his wife Elizabeth March 29 1850, at their home in Cloggers Entry at the head of the Side they had spent the day drinking in Robertsons spirit shop and when they arrived home Elizabeth had been unable to walk up the stairs two neighbours Mrs. Elizabeth Dees and Mrs. Wheatly helped to get her up the stairs to her room Patrick and Elizabeth spent the night in their room their daughter Bridget had been in the room several times through the night for bread their son Thomas had been in the room sleeping all night, Bridget had heard snoring thought she did not know who it was. The next day when she went in the room there was a great deal of blood and Elizabeth was lying half out of the bed the quilt soaked in blood Bridget cried "Murder" and a nearby Policeman heard and entered the room there were no visible wounds on the body of Elizabeth but later at the inquest wounds had been found that could have been made with knives found in Patricks pockets.

The Last official statement of Forbes: - I loved my wife sincerely and on the 22 March I had no thought or intention of doing her any injury whatever on that night I was very drunk and am not conscious of myself having done anything to cause the death of my dear wife: but believing the deed not done by any other person I am willing to take the blame of it upon myself I am satisfied I had a fair trial before Judge and jury and submit willingly to the laws of the country, etc. declaration made before Alderman George Thomas Dunn and Mr. Thomas Governor of the Gaol at Newcastle Upon Tyne 23 August 1850.

Strong wooden barriers were erected across Carliol Street and Carliol Square, police were in attendance as the workmen built the scaffold, and there was some concern about having the execution in the confines of the street as opposed to the usual open space of the Town Moor.
By 11 O'clock Friday night a large crowd had gathered in the neighbour hood but by 2 O'clock in the morning the crowd did not exceed 100 people. In the Newcastle Arms however the only public house in the vicinity a large crowd had gathered, mostly males, smoking, drinking and singing. The house had been crowded throughout the day and the landlord had let the seats in the window for a considerable sum of money per head. Bets were laid on how many people would be present. About 5 O'clock Saturday morning the scaffold was erected at this time the crowd began to increase as workmen and labourers came for a brief inspection of the paraphernalia of death before they moved on the their places of work. The hangman had been to the scaffold several times through the night and had been jeered at and shouted at by the crowd, he was Howard of York 74 years old and had officiated as "Jack Ketch" on eighteen human beings several applications had been made to the authorities for the office of hangman Murdock of Glasgow had applied who had executed Mark Sherwood on the Town Moor, Welch and Mathews at Morpeth and Bennison at Edinburgh, but Mathews had been rejected because of a professional incapacity at Morpeth.

There were more men than women in the crowd a few of the men were well dressed but there were not many of this class. The atmosphere was one of a public holiday people were laughing and telling jokes people on holiday looking for some cheap excitement it was not a sombre affair something that would act as a deterrent. At 8 O'clock whistles and shouts of "Hats off" there was silence for a minuet or two then the clamour started again. Silence was partially restored when R. Dodds Esq. Sheriff and R.P.Phillipson Esq. Under Sheriff and the Gaoler entered. They were followed by two clergymen after whom came Patrick Forbes supported by two turnkeys Mr. Hatfield and Mr. Cromer, Forbes was unable to walk without assistance his face was pale and his demeanour was helpless and dejected praying with much fervour and repeatedly ejaculating "O Lord Jesus" "Saints pray for me." Mr Bentham read the benediction when the prisoner rose to his feet the Priest said "Now step forward like a man." but Forbes was apparently unable to do so and had to be lifted onto the drop he stood trembling and repeating "Mercy Jesus" while the hangman drew the cap over his face and adjusted the rope around his neck and secured both ankle straps, Forbes clasped his hands together in prayer, the hangman descended to the apparatus below. The sea of upturned faces presented a never to be forgotten sight every face had the same eager and expectant expression - every countenance was blenched with the same horrible excitement. When the signal was given the bolt was withdrawn and a thrill of horror and a suppressed scream ran through the crowd unfortunately Forbes did not fall correctly and fell partially on the scaffold and partly under the scaffold he was hastily drawn up and let fall again with a jerk after a minute Forbes was dead the body remained hanging for the usual amount of time when the body was cut down the body was buried in the confines of the prison ten yards from the body of Mark Sherwoods.

Although The Newcastle Chronicle had reported this murder and execution in such detail they had printed an article on the 23 August 1850 asking people not to attend the execution and appealed to employers not to let their workers have time off to watch as they thought a public hanging was not the deterrent it was supposed to be and would instead harden and brutalise the people who watched.

1861 October 9, Murder of Mark Frater outside of his office at the end of Blackett Street by George Clark., Clark stabbed Frater through the cheek with a knife which glanced of bone and into the throat severing all the major arteries two gentlemen who were passing Mr McGill and a Mr. Dalrymple secured Clark. Clark was tried for murder at the ensuing assizes and was convicted and sentenced to be hung but the prisoner being of weak intellect was ultimately reprieved and was confined in an asylum during her majesty's pleasure.

1863 March 16 , George Vass for a murder in the West Walls of an old woman Margaret Docherty the wife of a tailor who lived in Buckingham street who had been first footing the previous new years morning. Dr. Rayne, in his evidence at the inquest, stated that he had never seen a human being so mutilated except by a machine, Vass was publicly hanged by Askern at the corner of the Gaol facing towards the Arcade steps.

1875 23 December , John William Anderson, privately hanged for the murder of his wife by Marwood in the corner of the Gaol next to the Arcade.

Prison Escapes.

1835 November 25, Convicts Rogers, Sterritt and Legget attempted to escape at about 7 O'clock Smith the turnkey was summoning them from the day room to there night apartments and when going upstairs Legget seized a long brush and hit Smith with it cutting his head, Smith however was able to raise the alarm and the three desperadoes were soon heavily ironed. When their roomwas searched the table was found to be broken up and bedding had been converted into a rope 40ft. long.

1850 January 29, Four convicts under the sentence of transportation escaped from the Gaol, Job Savage, John Dunn, William Donkin and Mathew Oliver had managed to make their way from the convicts yard to the debtors yard and by using a ladder belonging to some masons employed by the gaol reach the top of the wall and climbed down with a rope that had been with the ladder. They climbed down into Trafalgar Street here Savage was seized by a person named Robson, Dunn was captured by P.C Turner. Donkin was taken in Mr. Ralph Nater's brewery yard and P.C Graham captured Oliver in Shieldfield.

1857 July 22, Blakeston Hind and George Bell charged with garrotting Mr. William Oley, near the Cattle Market, and robbing him of a large sum of money, also a ticket leave convict William Haynes Beaumont, committed to the assizes for garrotte robbery at Arthur's Hill, and a fourth man John Harris a tailor committed to the assizes for a murderous assault on his paramour had made their escape. A turnkey had left their cell unlocked and they had tied their bedding into a rope and having climbed onto the roof of a workshop succeeded in escaping into the street. On the 27th Beaumont and Harris were captured in Carlisle and Harris was sentenced to death on the following day, this was commuted to transportation for life, the bill against Beaumont was ignored.

1858 August 6, Robert Boyd, 22 yrs. Old who had been sentenced to six years penal servitude by Mr. Baron Martin for his part in a garrotte robbery, escaped from the Gaol once out of his cell he made his way to the stone breaking yard where he got a plank and two bags of teased hair, the wall was topped with a cheveux de frize onto which he placed the bags of hair to stop them revolving he then managed to climb down to Carliol Square. He was apprehended three weeks later after a desperate resistance at a relatives house in St. Anthony's.

Source

The Newcastle Chronicle, March 29 1850.
The Newcastle Chronicle, August 23 1850.
The Newcastle Chronicle, August 30 1850.
Local Records of Remarkable Events, Sykes, vol II 1866.
Local Records of Remarkable Events, Fordyce, vol III 1867.
Monthly Chronicle of North County Lore and Legend July 1888.